The Black Lord's Rising
by Just A Passing Cynic
Summary: Harry is sick of being used. Vying to release himself from Dumbledore's web of manipulation, he leaves Hogwarts and enters Blackshades, an exclusive school of Dark Arts, after being emancipated by Sirius's Will. Slash. Undergoing Rewrite.
1. Prologue

**The Black Lord's Rising**

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Harry is sick of being used. Vying to release himself from a web of manipulation Dumbledore has spun, he leaves Hogwarts and enters Blackshades, an exclusive school of Dark Arts. Part I of the Black Lord Series. Slash.

--

**Genres:** Action & Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Suspense  
**Rating:** M; for violence, sex and language  
**Length:** Epic  
**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Warning:** I have said it once and I'll say it again: this is a HPDM fic, therefore it contains _SLASH_. There will also be _Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore bashing_, and if slash and the bashing is not your cup of tea, then please leave.  
A/N: For the rest of you interested readers, please enjoy my fic!  
**Beta:** Anglachel - thank you so much!

--

Prologue: Flight

**I am so tired, so sick and tired of people using me.**

Albus Dumbledore, the man whom I've look up since I was introduced to the Wizarding World and its wonders, has manipulated me time and again. All this while as I struggled to keep myself and my peers alive, he just stood back and watched; coming in only at the most opportune times that would make him look like a caring, benevolent grandfather. I was so naïve, to have allowed myself to believe his facades and to be maneuvered into whichever direction that would suit his whims and complete his schemes.

Ronald Weasley, the boy who claimed to be my best friend despite not knowing anything about me. He was only there for me for the fame and glory that would follow me whenever I went, no matter how much I detested it. He was easily consumed by jealousy and would erupt in violent tempers if I were to outshine him in anyway that would make him smaller in Hermione's eyes. I, so naïve, allowed his tantrums because I wanted to keep the friendship intact. Foolishly, I allowed myself to be manipulated once again because I was an affection-starved child.

Hermione Granger stuck close to me because she wanted to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic in history and whose support would be better than the Boy-Who-Lived? All I was to her was a tool, a mere tool that would ensure her the future career that she was wanted. But I craved acceptance and recognition before I could fully understand the concepts behind the words, thus I thoughtlessly made a grave mistake. I will acknowledge her as a prodigal genius but I would add heartless schemer to her array of names.

**I am so tired, so sick and tired of people neglecting me.**

Every summer I would go back to the hellhole that everyone else called my home. I never actually managed to have a moment's peace with all the suspicious, accusatory gazes my relatives sent me every now and then. I could not see the reason behind Dumbledore's decision to leave me in the place every single summer until was of age. All I saw was the momentary neglect that would soon vanish once the school year started. But it all started again once the school year ended. In the beginning, I told me myself that it was for the best, but as the years passed, I slowly saw the truth behind the hazy illusion that Dumbledore had constructed.

No one cared for Harry. They merely wanted the Boy-Who-Lived to placate their worries as the threat of Voldemort still lingered like a poison cloud, thick and foul. The public swayed with the wind, never steadfast in loyalty, changing their opinions with the speed of lightning. They didn't see young, growing teenager; all they wanted to see was the Saviour who prevailed over every obstacle Voldemort threw at him. All they saw was the Saviour who would lead the Wizarding World to a glorious, magnificent victory.

There was nothing for me to look forward to, nobody for me to turn to in times of need; they expected me to be that person when they were in need. I was their poster-boy for heroic adventures, I was the poster-boy for the Light Side and most importantly, I was their poster-boy who fueled blinding propaganda. I was disposable, just like a poster. I was reusable too because when I am once again needed, they would merely go back to the rubbish bin that they threw me in, rummage for my remains and uncrumple me again.

**I am so tired, so sick and tired of losing the people who were, or could have been, a part of my life.**

Nearly everyone that had a sincere inclination to get to know the person beneath the Boy-Who-Lived's substantial façade died; namely Sirius, Remus, Cedric and even Hedwig. I had a chance for a family with Sirius, a chance to taste what almost everyone else took for granted while I craved for it. After Sirius's untimely demise, Remus took his pace; slowly but surely, I opened up to him and allowed myself to hope for another chance to know what it meant to have a family and what it meant to be loved unconditionally. But that was a short taste of a fruit that would be taken away shortly as Remus was sent away by Dumbledore, under the pretence of Order work, as the old manipulative bastard wanted Remus out of my life because the werewolf was asserting 'too much' influence over me.

All Dumbledore did was look remorseful and regretful, pretending that he actually cared when friends and family became casualties but deep down, I knew that he was just mourning the fact that he had lost another pawn that could have been manipulated. Instead of voicing my outrage, I tiredly accepted the fact that Sirius's gone and that my second chance at having a family went down the drain with him. Remus – understanding yet so misunderstood – prematurely taken away from me, because of the fact that he was family to me.

**I am so tired, so sick and tired of people misunderstanding me.**

They never realized who I was underneath the thick layers of masks that I have built up over time, no one actually knew me as Harry. All they saw was a stereotype. What about the fact that I liked to read? That I liked to listen to classical music? Or I liked to spend the whole just basking in the sun's warm rays? And what about the fact that I hated going headlong into situations that could potentially endanger the lives of everyone involved? No one saw that because they were too busy trying to make themselves look glorious and valiant, or too busy worrying about their own arses to care.

They never saw the boy who enjoyed Charms and Care of Magical Creatures; they only had eyes for the Saviour with an amazing affinity for Defence Against Dark Arts. I mean; how do we know how to defend ourselves against the Dark Arts when we have absolutely no idea what the Dark Arts are? Am I really expected to defend myself against a Cruciatus with an Disarming Spell, the Killing Curse with a Shielding Charm or a Severing Jinx with a Stunner? Is there really something called the Dark Arts, or is it merely a category of misunderstood spells that have been misused by certain misled individuals?

I have been forced to bury myself underneath layers of lies and facades, and I was so afraid of losing myself because I never had the chance to allow the real me to see the sun's rays or to revel in the lake's warm waves. Everything I did was for the, but I never received anything from them. To them I was nothing but a weapon and an outlet to vent their frustrations when things do not go well. They thought I was a fixture in their lives, that I was born into this world just for them, that I depended on them to function properly and without them, I would be mere nothing with no reason to exist.

**I am so tired, so sick and tired of being weak.**

The notion of defeating Dark Curses with mediocre Light Spells is ridiculous. That is why I am leaving Hogwarts and entering Blackshades; a school where I know that I would taught the necessary materials to accomplish what I was supposed to accordingly to the Prophecy:

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…  
Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seven month dies…  
And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal,  
But he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…_  
_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…  
The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seven month dies…_

It was rather disappointing that Dumbledore chose to keep this little piece of information from me until I practically destroyed his whole office. I could have sworn that Fawkes was reprimanding Dumbledore as I walked out of the office, satisfied with the momentary destruction.

Right now, I am standing in the middle of the little room I called mine since I was thirteen. I am packed and ready to go; but before I activated the Portkey, my eyes gave one last swept across the place where I spent most of my inadequately provided for childhood. Then I took another look at the yellowed parchment that was my Blackshades invitation, there was an exquisite crest of a magnificent black Dragon whose long neck was encircled by a elegant silver and ebony phoenix. The Portkey was the other parchment that had the golden insignia of Gringotts. I was scheduled to have a private audience with one of the Goblins regarding my Inheritance. As the Portkey whisked me away, only one thing went through my mind:

**No regrets. **

--

Revised Chapter done: 22nd December 2007

A/N: Since it's posted during May. I apologize profusely for the long wait. I know i promised all of you that it would be revised and ready for New Year's but unfortunately, due to some school and family crisis, i haven't been able to keep my promise. Chapter I and II are out, and i am currently working on III. Here you go! Thank you for waiting patiently, my beta and I are bit slow but that's to ensure quality!

Cheers,  
Just.a.Slytherin


	2. An End but a Beginning

**The Black Lord's Rising**

--

Harry's sick of being used. Vying to release himself from the web of manipulation Dumbledore spun, he leaves Hogwarts and enters Blackshades, the most dangerous school there is. Part I of the Black Lord Series. Slash.

--

**Genres: **Action & Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Suspense  
**Rating: **M; for violence, sex and language  
**Length: **Epic  
**Beta: **Many thanks to the wonderful Anglachel, who has been an angel.  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Warning: **I have said it once and I'll say it again: this is a HPDM fic, therefore it contains _**SLASH**_. There will also be _**Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore bashing**_, and if slash and the bashing is not your cup of tea and you're reading at your own risk.  
**A/N: **For the rest of you interested readers, please enjoy my fic!  
**Beta: **Anglachel - thank you so much!

--

I: An End but a Beginning

Harry found himself standing in front of the majestic buildings the wizard and witch-kind call Gringotts, the only Wizarding Bank and the safest place besides Hogwarts in the Wizarding World. It was early morning, but there was still activity within the walls of the Bank. Harry walked towards the door and noticed a goblin wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold was standing beside its burnished bronze doors. The goblin led Harry into the building and the pair walked into a vast marble hall. A hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through special magnifying glass. There were too many silver doors to count leading off the hall, where the goblins led people in and out. Harry made for the counter.

"Good morning, Sir," said Harry to a free goblin, whom peered at the fetching sixteen year old over his golden framed spectacles.

"I am here for the reading of the will of Sirius Black." The goblin nodded when the Fifth Year showed him the wizarding lawyer's letter.

"Very well, follow me, Sir." Once the goblin hopped off his chair and whispered to his colleague, Harry followed the short goblin to one of the doors.

"I am Gripnock, and I will lead you to the chosen vault." As he held the door open for the young man, Gripnock whistled skillfully and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in and the cart hurtled through a maze of twisting passages on its own. Harry enjoyed the exhilarating trip, although the air was rather stale. When the cart had stopped, they hopped out of the cart.

The goblin opened the large bronze door with the key and they were met with the awe-inspiring sight of treasures: mountains of gold coins, portraits of sleeping wizards and witches that looked slightly familiar to Harry, and seemingly never-ending heap of books that were stacked neatly in rows and rows on expensively vintage ebony shelves. Harry's eyes widened as he reached the shelves. Eagerly, he scanned the collection and his breath lodged in his throat because the selection of topics was colossal. Then a glint caught the Savior's eyes, turning his head fully at the direction of the glimmer, hoping to reach the source.

The glint that had caught the young boy's eye belonged to an elaborately carved silver and ebony black crystal asp with crimson rubies for eyes. Harry was captivated instantaneously, and he reached out to touch it. As he did the crystal started glowing and the adults in the room just stared at the light that surrounded Harry, looking like soft tendrils of magic. Gripnock gasped as the crystal was replaced by a very much alive looking Shadow Asp. The stunning mystical serpent hissed softly and then bowed to the young boy by lowering its head that was crowned with a silver tattoo on its crest.

_§ Hello. §_ Harry was awed at the striking display of serpentine beauty that was in front of him. The snake hissed again and answered.

_§ Greetingssss, Masssster. § _For some reason this reminded him of Voldemort, so he smiled and corrected the serpent.

_§ Pleasssse, Harry will do. §_

_§ Alright… Harry. §_

_§ What issss your name? §_

_§ Ssssephiroth, milord. § _Knowing that he was fighting a hopeless battle, Harry let the title slide.

_§ Ssssephiroth… that issss quite the unique name… I rather like it… §_ Harry grinned and the snaked bowed while Gripnock just stared blankly before remembering what he was supposed to do.

"Mr. Potter, there is something I need to give you." Harry turned around as the goblin extracted a letter from his pocket. From the first glance the young man knew who the letter was from. Harry opened it with trembling long-fingered hands, revealing a folded piece of yellowed parchment paper. After he unfolded it he found that the parchment held the familiar elegant, although a bit shaky, handwriting of his beloved deceased godfather, Sirius Black. Gulping and holding back tears of anguish and guilt, Harry read the last remaining piece of Sirius Black on the yellowed paper.

_Dear Harry, _

_If you're reading this, then that means I've gone off to be reunited with Prongs and Tiger Lily. Your parents and I expect you to have miles to go before your time is up. Come prematurely and we'll kick your arses personally. Don't worry too much about my death, I probably died doing something honorable but stupid. However, I know that I died doing something that I thought was right, therefore, I will pass on with a light heart. I have known for weeks of my pending death: it is some sort of legacy that my deranged ancestors left behind. If you're a Black you tend to know when you're going to die, even though you don't know how. Well, if we did, then it would totally defeat the purpose of knowing that you're going to die. And I think I owe Moony fifty galleons because we had a bet that I'd die doing something stupid and I guess he won. And before I forget; please take care of Moony for me, he has been with me through thick and thin and I would hate to see him alone under any circumstances._

_Anyways, back to the serious stuff. Before I was shipped off to Azkaban, with the permission of James and Lily, I took the liberty of making you my Heir, which means that with me gone, you're now the Black Lord. And with that title comes responsibility, but I know with all of my heart that you will pull it off perfectly with style. Just to tell you, you're not just my Heir in name but in Blood too. I adopted you through a Blood Ritual, so you're now known as Hadrian James Orion Potter-Black. Keep your head up, your sixteenth or seventeenth birthday would serve as an interesting experience. I think you'd be getting lots of cool gifts and the gifts will come out pretty strong due to your magical strength. The entire Black fortune is now yours, Use it wisely. The title of Lord entitles you to one damned important seat in the Council of Lords, another damned important seat in the Wizengamot, so use those positions to give Fudge and Dumbledore one hell of a difficult time in office. _

_As the Black Lord, it is in your power to decide the fate of any Black family member, Main or Branch. I know that Bellatrix, Narcissa and Draco aren't exactly friends but here's my last wish: give them a second chance. Bellatrix was blinded by love; it was her love for Rudolphus that caused her to be immersed in Dark Arts, as she wanted to please her husband. The Bella that I knew was a fun-loving, beautiful witch with a wicked sense of humor. She was my favorite cousin along with Cissa, a brilliant witch who is trapped and restrained in a loveless marriage. As for Draco, my cousin twice removed, he should be given the chance to be freed from the evil grasp of Lucius. It was never their willing choice in the first place to join Voldemort and if Bella kills me, don't condemn her for it. I know it will be hard, but please give her another chance. I don't wish for her to be killed by you. She's not a lost cause; she's just merely lost and needs someone to fish her out of that damned hole. _

_One more thing, Petunia did not start out as the mean bitch you know her as. Your father and I dropped by to give Lily a surprise and I met Petunia, who was a blonde version of your mother. But a year later, when I revisited Lily's home, Petunia did had completely turned on us, calling us freaks and abominations. Lily was devastated because the change of perception occurred during her absence from home. She knew that she had nothing to do with the change, but she could not figure out what had happened. Please, do check up on Petunia, I think it's something dark that is affecting her. One thing to keep in mind is to __**never trust Dumbledore**__; the old coot is as cunning as they come, and he'll do anything to achieve what he wants._

_I have taken the liberty to emancipate you, so you could be free of that old conniving coot's influence, and his greedy hands. I have had suspicions of him squandering the Potter fortune through his authority as the Potter Estate Guardian._

_Lastly, I love you with all my heart. Harry, you were the son that I never had and I am proud to have you as my Heir. I am sorry for not being there for you when you needed me most, but nonetheless, I, Sirius Black, love you unconditionally. Choose wisely, I don't want you to end up dying stupidly like me. And smile, the world is not at an end just yet and with your resources ready at hand, I know that you can make a much needed difference. Honestly, the British Wizarding World is getting a tad to boring and someone needs to spice it up. Take care for Moony for me. And one last thing: everyone deserves a second chance. Even Voldemort, though he has squandered it away already. Keep that in mind for Bella, Cissa and Draco. You are one of the bright times of my life and you have made me proud. I know that you will continue to do so. You are a survivor. Please give Voldemort hell for me. But after that, you have to promise me to have fun, chase girls or boys, and finally settle down and have a few kids to spoil and spend all your money on. Remember, you are a Black and Blacks rule. _

_Live life to its fullest and continue the Marauders' Legacy!  
Padfoot a.k.a Sirius a.k.a your Godfather_

Hadrian stared at the letter for a few minutes before smiling sadly. He had decided to use the name that was now his true title as a dedication to his deceased godfather. Sephiroth sensed his master's distress and the giant Shadow Asp touched the young man on the forehead with its large hood.

_§ Milord, tissss not good to be ssssad. I am ssssure that your loved one issss now at peace and you sssshould be at peace with yoursssself. § _Hadrian nodded as he made sense out of his new familiar's wise words. Then a curious thought passed through his head. _How on earth would a snake be familiar with the emotions of the human kind?_

_§ Ssssephiroth, how old exactly are you? §_

_§ Sssseven thoussssand ssssummerssss have passssed ssssince my birth. §_

_§ Impressssive. §_ The snake swayed with pleasure from the praise.

"Lord Black?" The goblin spoke up again, causing Hadrian to turn his startling green gaze onto him. Gripnock flinched, thinking that eyes with that level of intensity should be banned, and took out an ornately carved ebony box that could sit on Hadrian's palm perfectly. He opened it and in the velvet interior lay a silver ring with elaborate, but elegant, black Latin engravings. Then Hadrian realized that there were more engravings on the interior side of the ring. It read:

_**Ascensus Praeter Universus **_

_Rise Above All. _Hadrian smirked and chuckled. Trust the Blacks to come up with such a fitting saying.

_§ Milord, you sssshould put that ring on, I ssssensssse that it callssss to you. §_

Hadrian considered Sephiroth's suggestion and then slid the band around his right ring finger. Suddenly the engraving started glowing and Hadrian felt the ring heat up and then a few silver and black tendrils of Magic tugging at his core, as if conducting a check up. Suddenly, the ring cooled and adjusted itself to fit Hadrian's fingers perfectly. Gripnock widened his eyes and bowed.

"Congratulations on your Inheritance, Lord Black." Hadrian nodded and gave the goblin a meaningless but polite smile. Then Gripnock handed the young Lord another long piece of parchment, when Hadrian swept his eyes over its content; his green gaze widened with shock.

"Amazing, I am bloody rich." The young Lord whispered in awe as he went through the list, so this was what he was denied and kept away from. Albus Dumbledore just moved up a few ranks in his mental list of bastards.

"Milord, please keep in mind that your family heirlooms are not included in this list because we have no way of determining the real value to those ancient artifacts. Despite that, you are still the richest Lord in the Wizarding World." Hadrian nodded and resumed pouring over the list until he was interrupted by the diminutive being's polite question.

"Milord, is there anything else you wish for Gringotts to do for you?" The newly instated Lord Black was about to say no but then an idea crept into his mind, causing his lips to curve into an utterly Machiavellian sneer.

"Actually, there is…" Sharing the devilish intentions, Gripnock returned the smirk as he leaned in and allowed Hadrian to whisper his plans while nodding as a devious twinkle crept into the goblin's glittering dark eyes.

"I will see to it myself that it will be done as soon as possible." Hadrian nodded and smirked.

"See to it that you do, because you are now my personal Gringotts aide." Gripnock widened his eyes before bowing low in sincere respect.

"Thank you, milord." And as the young Black Lord left, the lone goblin narrowed his beady eyes and set his heart unto serving his Lord with the best of his ability, starting with the utterly brilliant plan he had just been presented with. When Gripnock returned to his office, there was only one thought going through his intelligent mind:

Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix would never know what had hit them …

--

_**BLACKSHADES SCHOOL OF THE NIGHT ARTS **_

**Headmaster: Lady Adept Naia Devereux **

_Lord Black, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Blackshades School of the Night Arts. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1st August. We await your owl by no later than 15th July. _

_Yours sincerely,  
Arashi Kazama  
Deputy Headmaster _

Finally arriving at Blackshades with the second Portkey (the letter itself), Hadrian found himself standing in an empty corridor. When he was about to set out to find the Headmistress's office, he heard a soft voice with a bell's slivery quality.

"Hello, Lord Black."

Hadrian whirled around suddenly, wand pointing out at the owner of the soft ethereal voice and when his emerald met ice white. The boy widened his eyes at the utterly captivating and otherworldly visage the lady presented. Heavily lashed eyes the colour of ice white set in a perfectly sculpted face peered at him with light interest. She had delicately beautiful features and flawless alabaster skin. Long tresses of pure white cascaded down a slender, white clad back in a perfect, straight rush and glinted like spun platinum in the sunlight. In short, that goddess-like lady was the most beautiful being Hadrian had seen.

"Welcome to Blackshades."

The young boy merely nodded curtly as he swept his gaze over the building. Something flashed in the pale lady's icy eyes but regained its former interested gaze when Harry spoke up. It was there and then when the woman realized the extent of hardships the young teenager had gone through and survived to become a youth tainted with premature wisdom.

"Thank you for accepting me into your fine institution of education, Headmistress Devereux." Naia Devereux inclined her head regally, gesturing for the teen to walk by her. Harry acquiesced and the pair walked to the Headmistress's Office. The teacher and student settled comfortably in the tastefully decorated office that was arranged in a tasteful combination of white and blue, giving the room an illusion of being a winter wonderland.

"Lord Black, may I know of your intentions in leaving Hogwarts and choosing Blackshades?"

There was a hard glint in Hadrian's verdant gaze as his eyes met the arctic stare of the beautiful woman, and he replied solemnly, "I am here to prepare myself for an upcoming battle. I felt that Hogwarts cannot do anything to prepare me for that. I am here to learn whatever I need to learn to win."

Naia nodded and then announced, "Alright, then it's time for your diagnostic tests." Hadrian nodded as Naia conjured two crystal stones, each the size of a fist. Curious, the young Lord Black reached out and touched the first crystal, causing it to turn a beautiful golden mixed with silver. Naia nodded and then gestured for Hadrian to grab the other crystal. This time, the crystal stayed transparent. Ignoring the minutes widening of the Headmistress's eyes, the young Potter-Black merely tilted his head slightly to the side and asked, "is there anything else?"

She shook her head. Already she was intrigued by this confusing and enigmatic young Lord. "There's nothing else just yet, Lord Black. Why don't you take a tour of the castle and familiarize yourself with the new surroundings?" Hadrian nodded and left with a polite goodbye. The moment the door was shut, Naia narrowed her eyes and looked at the crystals. To her shock, the first crystal was cracked.

"You will be most interesting to observe, Lord Black." Naia smiled to herself as she looked over the crack in the crystal.

--

As he walked through the majestic hallways Hadrian had to admire the amount of attention and effort that had gone into the gorgeous building's construction. There were portraits of former headmasters, mistresses and teachers, and there were tasteful Victorian, Renaissance, and Baroque art pieces as well. But what struck him the hardest was a large painting that was a magical picture of Autumn.

There were maple trees with varying shades of crimson and gold that created a brilliantly dazzling effect. The colours complimented each other perfectly. There were a few leaves falling and dusting the amazingly detailed forest green grass, but what completed the painting was the background of the entire masterpiece: a magnificent sunset. There were shades of red, amber, amethyst; the lake was of a soothing light sapphire that seemed to reflect the golden hues of the sunset and the fire of the maple leaves. Hadrian's breath was taken away as he stared at the painting.

It seemed to inviting, so real and tangible, that he wanted to reach out and touch that stunning piece of artistic brilliance. Then he heard a faint chord. Interested, Hadrian followed the melodic sound until he found himself standing in front of an elaborately carved mahogany door. Pushing the door slighter wider, Hadrian's ears met a captivating melody that was filled with a soft but undeniable passion, as long, elegant fingers danced across the ebony and ivory keys of the magnificent grand piano.

The soft, yet melancholy tune touched Hadrian's heart without an effort as the young teen felt himself lose him in the music. He stood enraptured until the last chords of the piece were played. When he reopened his eyes, Hadrian's gaze was met with an arctic blue, so icy that they appeared almost white.

"Hello, Lord Black." The brilliant pianist was a tall, sylphlike young woman with obsidian tresses that appeared to be streaked with cobalt when the sun hit in the right places. She was a classical, aristocratic beauty with the usual alabaster skin and classically well-proportioned features. She had a lazy feline grace, with elegance and hint of power. Then Hadrian spotted elongated canines that glinted dangerously in the sun's rays, but instead of ruining the striking picture, the added element of danger merely enhanced the young woman's sexual appeal.

"How do you know my name?" Hadrian narrowed his eyes instantly as he eyed the vision of beauty with caution.

Sephiroth, who was wrapped around Hadrian's waist, hissed his observations to his master through the mind link that the serpentine familiar now shared with the young Lord,

_§ I ssssensssse no malicioussss intent. She merely has a sssstrong determination, and like you, sssshe hassss very sssstrong magic the blood of ancient linessss flowing through her veinssss. Sssshe will not hurt you becausssse sssshe knows the conssssequencessss of incurring the wrath of a bloodline assss powerful assss yourssss. §_

Hadrian nodded, dropping his hostility by a few notches, but his suspicion was not entirely gone. The girl merely held his disquieting gaze effortlessly as she inclined her head and said,

"As a fellow aristocrat belonging to a family closely tied to your bloodline, I was notified of your newly instated status." She held up her left hand and Hadrian could see a silver ring with beautiful sapphire Latin engravings, not entirely different from his own.

**Secuutus Vox Semita**

_Pursuers of the Right Path_. Harry smirked when he realized the subtle vow of flexibility.

"By that ring, I can assume safely that you stand firmly by me?" The piercing gaze were as hard as steel when the girl replied coolly.

"The Draven and Llewellyn Lines swear fealty." The girl locked her determined gaze with Hadrian's and then she continued her sentence, "But only if Albus Dumbledore's downfall is ensured."

Hadrian nodded immediately, and then the girl bowed her head as she placed her ringed hand over her heart saying, "I, Alexandra Jacqueline Dysis Llewellyn-Draven as Lady of Draven and Llewellyn, pledge fealty to Hadrian Black, the Lord of Potter and Black, and swear to stand firmly by his side in the his chosen path and assist him whenever acquired."

"I, Hadrian James Orion Potter-Black; Lord of Potter and Black, accept the offer of alliance and will do my best, with my bloodlines' honour as witness, to uphold the agreement." A silvery light surrounded both rings and then Hadrian felt a warm feeling around it as the oath settled. With a dark glint in her eyes, Alexandra inclined her head and smirked, saying,

"And you ask that beautiful snake around your waist to come out now because I don't think that the position it is in is the most comfortable." Hadrian widened his eyes and then he heard a hissing sound that sounded quite like snake-laughter coming from Sephiroth, who had slithered out from Hadrian's robes. The Asp regained its enormous size and made its way towards the young Draven. Instead of moving away, Alexandra merely met its crimson gaze head on.

"Is this suppose to scare me?" Alexandra drawled as she turned her amused gaze to meet Hadrian's green eyes.

_§ Thissss young Draven amussssessss me but I am also impressssed with her bravery. Milord, I think you have made an excellent ally._ Hadrian could not disagree as he replied to his familiar.

_§ Sssso do I and I have a feeling that we will enjoy working with her. §_

Just as they thought Alexandra would stop with the surprises, she presented them with another one when she said, "I think I would enjoy working with you too. Oh, and before I forget: welcome to Blackshades, Lord Black." The slender girl held out her hand and without a moment's hesitation, Hadrian took it and gave the offered appendage a firm shake.

Harry James Potter was no more.

In his place stood Hadrian Black-Potter, the one who would change the world.

--

TBC...

**A/N:** I would like to thank my reviewers for their patience; they have been very kind and thoughtful to provide me with some positive responses that kept me wanting to write:

**Enjoy the Revised Version!**

Cheers,  
Lex.


	3. Blackshades

**The Black Lord's Rising**

--

Harry's sick of being used. Vying to release himself from the web of manipulation Dumbledore spun, he leaves Hogwarts and enters Blackshades, the most dangerous school there is. Part I of the Black Lord Series. Slash

--

**Genres: **Action & Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Suspense  
**Rating: **M; for violence, sex and language  
**Length: **Epic  
**Beta: **Many thanks to the wonderful Anglachel, who has been an angel.  
**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Warner Bros, Bloomsbury. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Warning: **I have said it once and I'll say it again: this is a HPDM fic, therefore it contains _**SLASH**_. There will also be _**Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore bashing**_, and if slash and the bashing is not your cup of tea and you're reading at your own risk.  
**A/N: **For the rest of you interested readers, please enjoy my fic!

--

II: Blackshades

"Hey, Alexandra? Can you tell me how many different species attend this school?" Hadrian, well rested, had just woken up and the pair was lounging in the Black's room. The young woman allowed herself to be interrogated for the sake of increasing the younger teenager's knowledge of the school and its systems. The girl was playing with a few balls, juggling them as she answered questions.

"There are Humans, Vampires, Werewolves, Lycans, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Demons and Hybrids. A majority here are either Werewolves or Vampires. Statistically, Demons have the highest survival rate while Humans have the lowest."

"What do you mean by survival rate?" Alexandra raised an amused eyebrow and smirked with a distinctively sinister air. One of her balls came flying at Hadrian's face, only to be caught masterfully by the former star Seeker, a shrewd glint entered the icy blue eyes but it passed fleetingly as she responded.

"Didn't you know that Blackshades is a school of Magical Arts and Survival? It means that you could be killed during your stay at Blackshades, the moment you enrolled; you have basically signed a contract with the school saying that your death has nothing to do with the school." Hadrian sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Bloody fucking hell, out of all the schools there are in the Wizarding World; I had to pick the one which may kill me. Great, I feel so smart now." Hadrian groaned and Alexandra laughed, a pleasant silvery sound that was rarely heard.

"It prepares you for the future, in a nutshell. Blackshades is going to be the closest thing you can call a realistic education and besides— it has the reputation of being one of the finest Academies there is for magical education."

Suddenly a Djinn, the Blackshades equivalent to Hogwarts' Owls, appeared in a puff of smoke and handed the teenaged boy a letter. The black and red demonic spirite bowed respectfully and then disappeared the same way it appeared. Hadrian opened it and realized that the envelope contained his results from that test with those crystals he took in the Blackshades Headmistress's office.

_**- Diagnostic Test Results - **_

_Scale Reading _

_Each colour stage has 5 levels, 5 being the lowest._

_Mage Scaling:  
__  
1 Golden  
2 Silver  
3 White  
4 Purple  
5 Orange _

_Warrior Scaling: _

_1 Black  
2 Red  
3 Blue  
4 Green  
5 Yellow _

_**Test Results for Mr. Hadrian Black:**_

_Mage Power Scale: __**Golden 5**__  
Warrior Potential: __**Black 2**__  
__**  
Year: **__1st_

_**Classes; Course Selections  
**__  
__Basic Six:_

_- Potions  
- Charms  
- Transfiguration  
- Elemental Arts  
- Dueling  
- Etiquette_

_Electives 1: _

_- Arithmancy  
- Dark Arts  
- Magical Creatures Studies  
- Martial Arts  
- Mediation Arts  
- Ritualistic Studies  
- Runic Arts  
- Weaponry _

_Electives 2: _

_- Animagus Studies  
- Blood Magic  
- Crafting Arts  
- Divinity  
- Elemental Fusion Studies  
- Healing Arts  
- Instrumental Musical Magic  
- __Necromancy  
- Night Arts  
- Wandless Arts  
- Vocal Musical Magic _

_Options: _

_Students must have at least 4 and the most 8 electives from either one or both elective groups. Electives in 1 are open to every student in the school but Electives in 2 are only open to those who have shown an affinity in that particular subject. Every student in the school will be required to take the Basic Six courses. _

_If you are a Silver or a Gold, you are allowed to take the Elective 2 courses after being approved by the Professor in charge of the subject._

_**- Please return the selection of courses before 31st July - **_

"Interesting, you're obviously quite powerful."

Hadrian welcomed the neutral tone that Alexandra adopted as she addressed him. The young Potter-Black merely shrugged and asked, "Do we just pick any subjects that we want to just try out?" After a long moment of consideration, the slender girl answered, "It depends on what you want to do or achieve in the future."

"Could you explain to me what each class entails?" Without hesitation, Alexandra agreed. The pair walked off and the rest of the day was spent on seeing the castle and talking about subjects. After the talk, the young Lord still had issues with choosing his subjects.

"I am still quite undecided on the subject selections." The arctic eyes then narrowed in thought.

Alexandra smirked wryly before saying, "Come on, I'll bring to you meet a person who will give you a head start."

The pair then made their way to a training area where a tall blonde man could be seen practicing some marital arts moves that looked devastatingly powerful. Blows rained heavily on the pitiful mannequin.

"Arashi Sensei." Alexandra called out and piercing cerulean eyes whipped around to settle their unnerving gaze on the pair. The addressed man brightened up immediately and walked over to them. Despite the previous workout that Hadrian caught him in a few minutes ago, the man was barely sweating.

"Hello, Alexandra."

Hadrian relaxed around the seemingly easy-going teacher, but he could see the powerful muscles and confident stance that signaled an extremely skilled fighter. However, jovial cobalt orbs revealed a peace-loving persona .Coupled with spiky blonde hair and boyishly handsome features; the Professor was quite the looker.

"Sensei, this is Hadrian Black, a new transfer student and my friend." Arashi nodded and smiled, Hadrian was pleasantly surprised when Alexandra introduced him as her friend.

"Hello, Hadrian-kun, it's a pleasure to meet you." Hadrian nodded and bowed respectfully, as he suspected the blonde Professor to be Japanese from a slight accent.

"That was nice but unnecessary. So Alexandra, what do you want me to do for you?" Alexandra smirked and pushed the shorter boy slightly at Arashi before saying, "We've got you a new student." Arashi narrowed his eyes and stayed silent for a while before circling Hadrian with a scrutinizing eye. After a few 'hmmhs' and 'mmhs', Arashi finally stopped and thought for a while before nodding.

"Not bad at all, but you seem to be lacking in some muscles and you look too skinny to be good for your health. However your lithe build seems to be perfect for the Arts of the Shinobi and Kenjutsu. You have the potential to be fast and deadly."

"The Arts of the Shinobi is the Ninja Arts and Kenjutsu is Swordsmanship," Alexandra supplied helpfully, earning a thankful grin from her wizard friend. Arashi smiled inwardly at the effortless display of close friendship between the pair and then he asked, "I am willing to teach you but are you willing to go through the pain to emerge as a Master Swordsman?"

Without hesitation and a determined glint in his blazing emerald orbs, Hadrian nodded curtly and Arashi smiled softly; while Alexandra smirked.

"Now I get to kick your ass everyday, without fail."

Hadrian widened his eyes before asking, "What do you mean by that?" Alexandra only gave him an innocent expression and said, "Oops, didn't I tell you? I am Arashi Sensei's apprentice."

The young Black groaned and buried his face into his hands, while Alexandra petted his shoulder mock-comfortingly. Arashi chuckled as a positively malicious glint flashed in the slender girl's eyes while the smaller boy mourned dramatically for his unpleasant upcoming fate. But Arashi could sense that the pair would be a force to be reckoned with because Alexandra was not his best student without reason and with the right training, the green eyed boy would become a Swordsman with skills that rivaled his.

As the pair was about to take their leave, Arashi suddenly remembered something and called out, "Alexandra, take Hadrian-kun to get a physical and ask Septimus-san to go all out." Without another moment wasted, Alexandra nodded seriously and led her friend out with the Black wondering what it meant by going all out.

Septimus-san turned out to be the Potions Professor of Blackshades. Darkly handsome and charismatic, the Potions Master reminded Hadrian of Severus Snape with his eerily similar grace and elegant gestures. When Septimus turned around and revealed his glittering obsidian orbs, Hadrian widened his eyes and made an immediate connection this attractive man was related to Severus Snape.

"Hello, Alexandra. What can I do for you?" The quiet but firm baritone was different from the silky, dangerous quality that came hand in hand with Hogwarts's Potions Master, but was nevertheless still attention-catching with its sensual notes.

Alexandra merely smiled softly and tilted her head towards his direction, "Arashi asked for you to go all out," she said Narrowing his eyes and then nodding, Septimus waved his hand over Hadrian's body length and a magical screen appeared; providing numerous statistics regarding the young Black's health. Tapping the screen, Septimus did a few calculations before turning serious eyes to look right into Hadrian's green gaze; its startling quality was diminished slightly by the spectacles. The solemn, knowing black gaze told Hadrian that the man had some suspicions regarding his life before entering Blackshades.

"Besides being slightly on the underweight side and having a few poorly healed bones, you are fine. However, it would be another two weeks before you will be able to share lessons with Alexandra." The girl pouted childishly and Septimus chuckled. Hadrian envied the easy and comfortable, bordering parent-child, relationship that Alexandra and Septimus seemed to have.

"To deal with the underweight problem, I will put you under a programme that will involve Nutrition Potions, Muscle Inducing, Strengthening and Enhancing Potions and specially designed exercising programmes. So you will see me every morning at nine, afternoon at three and evening at nine, and I will correct your eyesight." Hadrian nodded, secretly awed at the attention paid to his health and his wellbeing.

"Septimus, if there is nothing else, then Hadrian and I will take our leave because we have to see Naia."

The dark haired Potions Master nodded and the pair moved to leave but before they left the office, Septimus spoke, "And one more thing, Hadrian, you're right. Severus is related to me. In fact, he's my brother." With a wide eyed gaze, Hadrian was led out of the classroom and the door was closed on a smirking Septimus Snape. But the moment Hadrian was out of sight, Septimus narrowed his eyes as the capacity reading he received on the magical scan flashed through his mind.

Who was this powerful youngster?

--

"Come in." Naia's pleasant soprano rang out softly and the pair entered. Sharp silver eyes met Hadrian's emerald gaze as the pair walked to the seats offered.

The icily beautiful Headmistress smiled and when the pair was settled, the Ice Elemental asked Hadrian, "So, Mr. Black, have you come to a conclusion?"

Hadrian nodded and then said, "I would like to be a War Mage." Naia nodded again, this time, her blue eyes glittered with pleasure as she opened her mouth to speak with a regal edge tinged with delight. She brought out a pale bowl filled with a swirling silvery liquid.

"I need three drops of blood." Hadrian nodded and pricked his finger with the offered silver dagger. The liquid turned black, red, rainbow, green, white, gold, silvery-blue, silvery-white and silvery-gold before regaining its previous colour of pure silver.

"Excellent. Then your selections in the electives will be Animagus Studies, Dark Arts, Demonic Arts, Elemental Fusion, Night Arts, Wandless, Runic Studies and Ritualistic Studies. You will be given a Time-turner, it is up to you to use it but remember that you have a responsibility to the school and more importantly, to yourself." Hadrian nodded curtly and the pleased glint in the striking woman's arctic orbs became more apparent when the young Black Lord accepted his schedule that had appeared on the Headmistress's desk.

Then Naia opened an ebony box and then out slithered an ebony serpent, leaped out a panther, flew out a hawk and jumped out a wolf; all carved out of pure obsidian and had diamonds as eyes. The four breathtaking creations circled the young Lord, the Panther and the Wolf sniffed him while the Hawk eyed him with a diamond eye and then the Serpent slithered up his arm to look him in the eye while swaying soothingly.

_§ I ssssmell the sssscent of a Sssserpent on you. I wonder who you are, Sssserpent-ling. §_

_§ My name issss Hadrian Orion Potter-Black and I am honored to have ssssuch a magnificent creature ssssuch as yoursssself to deem me worthy of Sssspeaking to. §_

_§ A Sssspeaker! I have not sssspoken to one in two thousand ssssummerssss! I have decided, you sssshall be one of mine... §_

The snake hissed and then a silver light glowed around the shoulder joint. When the light died down, there was an exact image of the obsidian serpent tattooed onto the skin but on top of the smooth head of the tattoo, there was a silver crown. Naia widened her eyes when she finally laid her gaze onto the tattoo while Alexandra inclined her head respectfully and she smirked.

"One of the Elite, nice to meet another." She then rolled up her sleeve and showed Hadrian an identical tattoo. Hadrian felt their friendship strengthening as he sent Alexandra a grin.

Naia then spoke up again. "Lady Draven, Lord Black is now under your care. Please do educate him in the ways of Blackshades." Alexandra bowed and led the newly inducted Serpent to his new room.

--

Hadrian and Alexandra walked into Dryden Hall for breakfast, there were a few who stared at the new student but did not comment because of Alexandra's presence. However, they just could not seem to meet Hadrian's gaze, it was as if they were afraid to.

"Alexandra, why are they staring?"

"Because you're a new Elite." Satisfied, he nodded and spotted an empty table. Just before they made their way there, a baritone rang out.

"Hey Alexandra, miss me over the summer?"

Turning around, Hadrian saw that the voice belonged to an attractive young man with sun-kissed blonde hair, sparkling amber eyes and a cheeky smirk that revealed slightly elongated canines. A Werewolf and an alpha to boot; he had a few of his pack surrounding him and thus lending him a visage of power. Alexandra did not answer him, the pack members of the Alpha bristled at the girl for ignoring their Alpha, and she continued walking to the table.

Hadrian followed, and then the Werewolf said mockingly, "Got yourself another Human pet eh?"

Alexandra stopped, turned around and walked elegantly to the Werewolf, by this time, every pair of eyes in the Hall was on the pair. The beautiful girl stood face to face with the Werewolf, who was obviously interested in her as he stared at the arresting face so close to him. Then Alexandra leaned in, eyelids lowered sensuously and the Werewolf gulped in anticipation, only to have her completely miss his lips and move to his ear as she said.

"Watch it, Sloan, Daddy can't protect you forever. If you value your life, please do shut up."

Alexandra turned, effortlessly graceful as she stalked away without another look at the fuming Werewolf.

Hadrian looked at his new friend with something akin to wonder and a little jealousy; she did everything with such elegance, even when she was eating or just talking. Hadrian smirked as he recounted the embarrassing occurrence for Sloan.

"Who was that?"

"Dmitrios Sloan, the Alpha of the biggest Werewolf pack in Blackshades. He may look like a regular student but his strength is powerful, even for a Werewolf. If you can, avoid confrontation. I have faith that you can defeat him but I am not so sure about you defeating the other two hundred and forty six members of his pack." Hadrian nodded, filing the information away. The pair returned to their breakfast.

Then the door swung open again, this time admitting four of the most beautiful men Hadrian ever laid his eyes on. All in all, the quartet was a sight to behold and the whole school was staring at them.

Alexandra smirked and then introduced Hadrian to his Professors.

"The redhead is Axel, he teaches the Demonic Arts. The blonde's Lycos and he teaches Necromancy. The dark haired fellow is Lucas St. Clair, the Night and Dark Arts II Professor and lastly, the brunette is Kylan Drakos, the History of Magic Professor. They have ten thousand years between the four of them." Hadrian took that in easily because most of the teachers here were in their millennials anyways.

"And they're lovers." This time, Hadrian choked on his milk and Alexandra suppressed a laugh. "Please don't hit on any of them because the other three will come together and torture you for the rest of your life. They may even extend your life just to make you suffer more." The young Lord shuddered and nodded.

"Thanks."

"Alex!" A voice with a childish lilt rang out and Hadrian watched Alexandra looking up from her bowl of cereal and to his immense surprise, the girl's hard arctic gaze softened slightly. When he turned to see what Alexandra saw, Hadrian took in the petite frame, boyishly beautiful features, light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The young boy fitted the description of a young Malfoy perfectly.

"Hello, Jacques. Jacques, this is Hadrian Black from England. Hadrian, meet Jacques de la Noir." Hadrian threw a roguish grin at the petite male, who blushed adorably and nodded demurely at the handsome youth.

"Hello, Jacques, I am pleased to meet you." Jacques returned Hadrian's smile with a shaky one of his own.

"And Hadrian, even though Jacques look like he's thirteen, he's actually our age." Hadrian inwardly widened his eyes but on the outside, he merely smiled politely and nodded.

"Hadrian Black… you're the Black Lord?" The young man was staring unabashedly at the attractive Lord, Hadrian nodded uncertainly and then Jacques bowed his head. Alexandra smirked and coughed, snapping the petite blonde out of his trance as he was suddenly reminded of where he currently was.

"Later, Jac." The blonde nodded immediately but his gaze on Hadrian did not falter one bit.

The newly formed trio found themselves in the first class together: the Dark Arts I. The teacher was a lean man with loose, chin length brown hair and sparkling honey coloured eyes. It was hard to imagine this person teaching spells that were potentially devastating and ethically questionable. The man merely smiled and then introduced himself when he deemed his class full.

"My name is Rasmus Walker, and you may call me Professor Walker."

A few of the students scoffed or snickered, Hadrian looked around; it was Dmitrios and his gang. They were obviously not used to the formality, something dark flashed through the honey eyes but Hadrian brushed it away, thinking that it was just the play of light. Alexandra merely regarded the teacher with interested eyes and Jacques was smiling from ear to ear.

"In this class, we will be studying the Dark Arts. For those of you who have been educated in this area before, we will not be doing much theory. This class focuses on the practical side of the Arts; therefore, there will be dueling contest in four months time. There is no such thing as knowing it unless you have done it. The Dark Arts is not something that you learn while reading off a thick tome; the knowledge can only be gathered through experience. Now, I will have to split the class into groups of three."

"Now, as you can see, the chairs and tables were arranged specifically to accommodate three people and say hello to the two other people at your table, because they will be your partners for the rest of the year." There were some groans, some slaps on backs and some smiles. Hadrian did not mind this arrangement of the Professor, besides: he had Alexandra on his team.

--

Rasmus Walker regarded his new students with a cool eye, sweeping his gaze over them as he sized them up quickly. Ah, he has Dmitrios Sloan and Opal Roderigo: the Alpha and Beta of Golden Moon, which was the largest Werewolf pack in Blackshades. Rasmus's gaze turned bored until he felt two barely suppressed auras of great magical strength enter the room. Turning his head to the door, his gaze was met with a pair of orbs the disconcerting colour of the Killing Curse. The way the young man carried himself could be likened to a Lord as he moved with precision, fluid grace and confidence while the other was the female equivalent of the enchanting young man.

Rasmus was amused greatly when the young man entered with Alexandra Draven, the prodigal Ice Queen extraordinaire of the school. This class would be interesting, Rasmus smirked inwardly with anticipation and then he started.

"My name is Rasmus Walker, and you may call me Professor Walker."

There were snickers and scoffed, the Werewolf took notice of those, specifically Opal. Storing the information into his mind, Rasmus continued the lessons.

"Take a look to your left and your right, those will be the two other students you will be grouped with for the rest of the year." He saw every student assessing each of their teammates, some pleased, some uncaring and some dubious. Not caring about whether the students are paying attention or not, Rasmus started the lesson.

"The Dark Arts are those magical spells and practices mostly used for malicious purposes. Practitioners are referred to as Dark Wizards or Dark Witches, the most prominent of whom is Lord Voldemort. His followers, known as Death Eaters, also practice the Dark Arts." Some students were talking but it was not his responsibility to ensure their learning, it was his responsibility to teach and that was his responsibility alone.

"It is unclear what exactly constitutes Dark magic in the wizarding world. According to some individuals, the Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal...unfixed, mutating, indestructible. It also appears to be the most common form of magic used by criminals, and dangerous spells used by others in the books are frequently labeled _Dark_. In magical dueling, for example, there are any number of spells that may be used to attack, immobilize or disarm an opponent without causing pain or lasting harm; spells such as the Cruciatus Curse or Sectumsempra, judged to be _Dark_ by reliable authorities, actually wound or seriously distress a victim." Rasmus scanned the classroom and mentally noted who was listening or not but he did not comment. They were old enough.

"The motivation of the caster affects the effect of a spell. When cast by figures such as Lord Voldemort, who desire to cause pain purely for its own sake and without any greater primary motive, it causes intense agony that can last as long as the Dark wizard desires. Use of Dark Magic can corrupt the soul and body; such magic has been used by Voldemort in his quest to prolong his life and grant himself great power. Dark magic also caused Voldemort to look deformed and inhuman, though it is unknown if this was purposeful or merely a side-effect of all the dark power he has used." The green-eyed boy in the middle row looked especially interested. He seemingly hung onto every single word; Rasmus smirked inwardly, thinking that the boy must be a transfer from one of those European conservative educational institutions.

"Use of the Dark Arts is strongly stigmatized, and possibly illegal. However, they are prevalent enough in society that even before the rise of Lord Voldemort many schools have had Defence Against the Dark Arts as a subject. Techniques include anti-curses and simple spells to disable or disarm attackers, as well as how to fight off certain creatures. However, students in those schools will never be successful in defeating Dark Curses because they lack an insider's insight into those spells, knowing how the curses work will further contribute to the success of deflecting or removing the spell or relieving the spell's effects." Dmitrios Sloan was finally getting his act together and was actually paying a little more attention while the blonde bimbo was still trying to get the attention of her Alpha.

"Curses are usually offensive spells that cause harm to the subject. It is not clear precisely how they are distinguished from other spells. Not all curses are considered Dark magic; some, like the Body-Bind Curse, can be used for defence, while others are unpleasant but essentially harmless and used as pranks. All, to a certain degree, are in some circumstances justifiable, and the use even of the Unforgivables by Aurors was sanctioned during the closing years of Voldemort's first rise." By this time, Rasmus had a rough idea of who would be the achievers and the losers.

"Well, that was all elementary rubbish that you would have already known." Rasmus drawled and he saw an amused smirk on Alexandra's striking face. She would be another one to look out for.

"Right, as you know it, there will be a tournament in November. The outcome of the dueling and the research will account for twenty-five percent of your final grade; everyone in the team will share the same grades, so it's your own responsibility to make sure that each and every member of your team does their part in contributing. The dueling format will only be revealed on the day of testing. Any curses that are harmful will suffice— do try to minimize the casualties even though most of you are not going to survive the next two years. Now get into your groups, write up your names and submit them. In future classes you will have time to work on your techniques, spell inventory and other aspects of dueling that you wish to explore. You do not necessarily have to be in this classroom. The time is yours. I will not be checking up on you but do remember that you need to hand up something by the end of the semester. Failure to complete the assessment will have its consequences." Rasmus waited for his message to sink in and the writing started. After two minutes, the lists of team members were on his table and he dismissed his students with a casual wave of his hand.

Picking up the slip that the blonde child-like young man handed in on the behalf of his whole team, Rasmus found the name of the interesting green-eyed youth. Rasmus smirked again as he stared at the slip of parchment. Two of the most powerful young nobles of the dimension together in a team, he almost felt sorry for the rest of his class…

_Alexandra Draven-Llewellyn and Hadrian Potter-Black. _

Rasmus's smirk got even more diabolical because that combination promised solid entertainment for the next two years...

--

TBC...

Part II revised! Enjoy and tell me what you guys think! Thank you for waiting patiently!

Cheers,  
Lex.


	4. Author's Note

**IMPORTANT NOTE **(Dated 17th August 2009)

I've been feeling uninspired lately, so I've decided to change my pen name and put everything on hold except A Second Chance. I've also been affected by the coming transition to university and fear that I might have not enough time to update as regularly as possible. I need to revamp everything because of a slight change in style and maybe some stories will be deleted because I really don't have the time or the inspiration to carry on, but we shall see.

So far I've decided to rewriting Black Lord's Rising, On the Edge of War, Sweet Enigma, Constantine's Heir, Era of Revolution and Hellhound. I have left these stories alone for too long and so I've lost the train of plot and the excitement that came along with writing new chapters.

I apologize if this decision causes anyone disappointment but it must be done.

On the other hand, this will most probably make my stories better. So please bear with me and I hope everything will turn out for the best.

Yours Sincerely,

Lex, now Obsidian. Lady and formerly Just. a . Slytherin

(P.S: This author's note will be deleted soon.)


End file.
